Starlink's arrival means no future govt can shut down Internet, says Shafiqul

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Tuesday explained why Starlink is invited to Bangladesh, noting that Starlink's arrival in the Bangladesh market means no future government can fully shut down the Internet.

"The main reason Elon Musk's Starlink is invited and being launched in Bangladesh is to stop the business of online shutdown forever," he said.

Alam said that Sheikh Hasina's "dictatorial" regime disrupted Internet access numerous times over her 16-year rule. "Internet shutdown is a favourite tool of the dictators and autocrats to crack down protests or suppress any major opposition agitations," he said in a message from his verified Facebook page, reports UNB.

But in the process, hundreds of thousands of freelancers were affected, Alam said, adding that some lost their contracts and jobs forever.

At least BPO firms, call centres and freelancers will never be hit by any new attempt to stop the net, Alam said.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has invited top US businessman and Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX Elon Musk to visit Bangladesh and launch Starlink satellite service in the country.

In a letter to Musk on February 19, Chief Adviser Dr Yunus told Musk his visit to Bangladesh would allow him to meet Bangladeshi young men and women who will be among the main beneficiaries of this leading technology.

“Let us work together to deliver our mutual vision for a better future,” Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder quoted the Chief Adviser as saying in the letter.

“Integrating Starlink’s connectivity into Bangladesh’s infrastructure will have transformational impact, particularly for Bangladesh’s enterprising youths, rural and vulnerable women and remote and underserved communities,” the letter said.

The Chief Adviser asked his High Representative, Dr Khalilur Rahman, to coordinate closely with his SpaceX team to ensure completion of the necessary work to make Starlink ready for launch in Bangladesh within the next 90 working days.

The Chief Adviser on February 13 held an extensive telephonic discussion with Musk, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and X, to explore future collaboration and make further progress to introduce Starlink satellite internet service in Bangladesh.